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Talk the torque in the Cytech Tech Forum

Cytech, the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians, has launched a new Facebook group - the Cytech Tech Forum –...

11 Mar 2024, more…

BikeBiz editor gets hands on with Cytech technical one

Daniel Blackham, editor of industry magazine BikeBiz, has been writing about his experience of completing the Cytech technical one qualification at training provider Spokes People in Milton...

8 Mar 2024, more…

JE James Cycles to open first Barnsley store

ACT member and Cytech-accredited retailer JE James Cycles – one of the largest independent cycle retailers in Europe – is to open a new 7,874 sq ft store shop in Barnsley town...

7 Mar 2024, more…

Activate Cycle Academy welcomes British Cycling to Cytech technical one training course

Cytech partner Activate Cycle Academy, the largest and most recognised training provider of bike maintenance and technical training courses to the UK’s cycle industry, recently welcomed a...

6 Mar 2024, more…

Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.

29 Feb 2024, more…

ACT tells Parliamentary Committee of the need for urgent systemic change to the Cycle to Work scheme.

With more than 500 cycle businesses having now signed up to its campaign for change to the Cycle to Work scheme, a delegation from the Association of Cycle Traders has met with All Party...

25 Jan 2024, more…

OPSS takes enforcement action over dangerous e-bike battery.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking enforcement action and warning consumers about a brand of e-bike battery – UPP – that has been linked to a number of...

24 Jan 2024, more…

Cytech training to help Go Outdoors boost number of cycle mechanics by offering apprenticeships to store staff.

Go Outdoors, which operates 75 stores across the UK, has announced an apprenticeship scheme involving Cytech training with the aim of addressing what it terms a nationwide shortage of...

15 Jan 2024, more…

Cytech Scotland training provider launches Young Bike Mechanic Programme to empower Glasgow’s youth.

Bike for Good, the Glasgow-based cycling charity and social enterprise, which delivers Cytech training in Scotland, has announced a Young Bike Mechanic Programme designed to create opportunities...

3 Jan 2024, more…

Re-Accreditation of Torq Zone Academy: Meeting QCTO Standards for Excellence

Torq Zone Academy, a leading institution of vocational training in South Africa, has been re-accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), for another five years, to offer...

27 Nov 2023, more…

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ACT partner NearSt praised in Forbes for being the retail technology that could save the high street

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ACT partner NearSt praised in Forbes for being the retail technology that could save the high street

Posted on 23 Aug 2021

ACTNearSt logo members can receive excellent benefits with NearSt, a powerful platform that encouragers more shoppers through the doors of specialist cycle shops.

NearSt was recently featured in Forbes for being an exciting new technology which could save bricks-and-mortar retail, with the article detailing information about a London-based trial.

 

Increasing footfall to London's biggest shopping streets

A world-first trial of the NearSt tech recently took place with the aim of driving more shoppers to some of London's best-known shopping streets in Mayfair and Belgravia. NearSt used Google Local Inventory Ads to promote real-time in-store inventory information from nearby shops including Creed, Pringle of Scotland and VICKISARGE to local shoppers. Not only is the shopping experience innovative for retailers, but it is deeply practical for shoppers, too. 

The goal was to draw online shoppers into 15 fashion, jewellery and health and beauty physical retailers, and was mainly focussed on the iconic Elizabeth Street and Mount Street shopping streets. 

As NearSt co-founder and CEO Nick Brackenbury explains, "We already knew that shoppers were going online to find products in their local stores, but we didn't realise just how impactful an entire street working together could be." 

The technology worked effectively to intercept customer journeys which started online - and drive them in-store.

 

High street success


The trial was a success, with 36% of shoppers visiting the targetted streets arriving after seeing one of the Local Inventory Ads in Google.

The footfall also translated into cash: An estimated 815 shoppers were driven to the targeted streets, spending an estimated £165,000 between them.

With NearSt's technology proven to increase high street footfall, we could see this implemented to other shopping districts in the country sooner rather than later.

NearSt's Nick Brackenbury says that we can expect this technology to become the norm, "Within two to three years, having a live view of what's on a shop's shelves visible in places like Google, Facebook, Instagram and other major platforms will be a basic expectation from customers - much like having opening hours and telephone numbers is in Google Maps today."

 

How ACT members can benefit

NearSt is leading the way in driving online shoppers' back to bricks and mortar retailers. 

NearSt's mission is to get people back onto UK high streets by making shopping from real shops easier and faster than buying online. Their powerful platform drives in-store footfall by automatically connecting the products currently hidden on shop shelves to Google's local inventory search through a simple integration with a business's Point of Sale system.

This enables customers to quickly and easily find what they are looking for in-store, supporting local businesses and curtailing the flow of business to online retail giants.
  • Boost in-store footfall
  • Better connectivity with your local community
  • Instant setup: get your stock online in less than 10 minutes
  • Automatic feed: Your shop's inventory displayed directly in Google search (no manual data entry required)
  • Insight: see which of your products are most popular with local shoppers searching near your store
  • Exclusive setup discount for ACT members (usually £299)
  • No ongoing costs
  • Free NearSt PLUS trial worth £100: run highly targeted Local Inventory Ads to shoppers searching nearby at the top of Google

Click the button below to find out more or email info@theact.org.uk.

Find out more

 

 

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